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Ad fraud is a more serious problem than previously thought to be; a recent study found that online advertisers could waste as much as $16.4 billion to fraudulent traffic in 2017. Bad actors are using bots to generate web hits, fooling algorithms into thinking an actual human is paying attention to a brand's message. And ads are appearing on sites that advertisers may not be interested in, instead of near content advertisers wish to focus on.

While fixing this problem isn't likely to be simple, 10Forbes Agency Council members talk about what can be done to protect advertisers.

By leveraging pre-bid data segments through your demand-side platform (DSP), you can protect clients from ad fraud before they go live. This data is integrated from companies like Integral Ad Science and comScore and informs you of inventory with specific levels of invalid traffic. Although this strategy may restrict you on volume, it will limit your chances of fraudulent traffic exposure. - Ryan Pezzotti, Knowzo.com

2. Analyze The Data Manually

The rapidly growing problem of ad fraud can be automated through ad verification and pre-bid contextual data segments, but in addition, it is critical to take a more immersive stance by analyzing the data manually. Though this active monitoring methodology is less formulaic, it uncovers unusual patterns in metrics and flags suspicious activity that may have been overlooked. - Goran Paunovic, ArtVersion Interactive Agency

3. Diversification Is Key

While you can utilize tools to measure fraud, our best approach to digital advertising is to not rely on this single channel as your main driver of traffic to your website. Have a diversified approach to building your digital sales channels. This will help minimize the damage if a paid campaign isn't successful — or worse, fake. - Revecka Jallad, Divisa

4. Monitor And Measure To Limit Ad Fraud

Monitor the performance of your advertising and measure the effectiveness of the traffic sources to limit ad fraud. By continuously working to improve the ad campaign, you can identify issues and low-performing traffic sources, and then redirect your business to what is helping you to achieve the goal of your advertising. - Daniel B. Laws, Jr, DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC

5. Reverse Look Up The Clicker's IP Address

Our clients' websites are outfitted with IP reverse lookup. Our ad campaigns are tracked via marketing automation, with each click leading back to the IP address of who clicked on your ad. If the IP belongs to a company, a daily report will show. If it happens to be a competitor, you'll have evidence to challenge the click and catch the scoundrel. - Ricardo Casas, Fahrenheit Marketing

6. Be Meticulous With Your Auditing Efforts

Programmatic sounds amazing. Just press a button and watch the clicks and impressions come through. Underperforming click-throughs and conversions are typically the telltale sign that your impressions are off. Also using software like whatrunswhere.com can help you double check that your ads are running where you want them to run. - Chris Carter, Rep Interactive

7. Leverage AI To Vet Pages Like A Human Would

There’s more than one type of ad fraud and zero easy solutions, so it’s critical providers throughout the ecosystem provide maximum transparency. To assure buyers they’re getting what they pay for, we in the tech stack need to work only with proven, trusted partners. We can also leverage AI to vet pages like a human would, offering confidence that ads only appear where appropriate. - Julien Verdier, Adyoulike

The biggest issue with ad fraud is not only that it is happening but the financial consequences. If you see it, report it. That way, the ad platform can get on it and you have a relatively solid legal case if you need to fight for refunds. - Christina Baldassarre, Zebra Advertisement

9. Do Your Homework

Ad fraud in the video ad space is detrimental and costly. For advertisers, it's critical to ensure that the video market is protected from misrepresentation. No more relying on brand name verification in 2017. Do your homework. Dig into reports, set predefined quality thresholds and demand that agencies buy from reputable marketplaces with strong verification technologies and quality measurements. - Dvir Doron, Cedato

10. Focus On The Right Metrics

Buying in bulk or focusing on vanity metrics like views or social metrics such as likes or shares is insufficient. Insist on evaluating campaigns by conversion metrics: How many real sign ups, how many real purchases and how many actual users did we generate. Everything else is fluff. - Gil Eyal, HYPR!